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Zelensky gave a speech to the citizens of the liberated city.

Last week, after a fierce counteroffensive effort, the Ukrainian armed forces successfully drove the bulk of the invading Russian forces from the city of Kherson, which had been occupied for several months. As the Ukrainian troops rolled into the city and the Russian troops retreated across the river, citizens flooded the streets to celebrate, draped in Ukrainian flags.

During the celebrations over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the city to celebrate as well. In a speech to onlookers, Zelensky expressed hopes that the city’s liberation marked “the beginning of the end of the war.”

“All of us, our Armed Forces, our National Guard, intelligence have shown that it is impossible to kill Ukraine,” Zelensky said. He added, however, that “The price of this victory is considered very high,” including “a lot of people wounded and a very high number of dead.” In honor of those who died, a moment of silence was held by the crowd while the Ukrainian national anthem was played.

President @ZelenskyyUa visits Kherson three days after its liberation.

"It's very important to support our people in Kherson. So I'm here". pic.twitter.com/dAgaxJusnK

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) November 14, 2022

When asked where the Ukrainian troops would advance to next, Zelensky joked “Not Moscow… We’re not interested in the territories of another country.”

Speaking of Moscow, the Kremlin issued an official statement on Kherson’s liberation and Zelensky’s speech, insisting that the city was still their property. “We leave this without comment,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding: “You know, this territory is part of the Russian Federation.”